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as in apostasy
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as in desertion
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Recent Examples of defection
This idea has ample support from broader theories in behavioral ecology, where cooperative interactions within or across species can be stabilized by mechanisms that penalize exploitation or defection.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Abraham Lincoln used pardons to encourage defection from the Confederate cause.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The Conservatives, currently led by Kemi Badenoch, slammed Braverman following her defection, characterizing her as an inevitable turncoat and questioning her mental faculties.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 26 Jan. 2026
And emotions like sympathy, anger, guilt, and gratitude motivate each of us to reward cooperation with cooperation and punish defection with defection.
—Bruce Schneier, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defection
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Abraham Lincoln used pardons to encourage defection from the Confederate cause.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The Conservatives, currently led by Kemi Badenoch, slammed Braverman following her defection, characterizing her as an inevitable turncoat and questioning her mental faculties.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 26 Jan. 2026
And emotions like sympathy, anger, guilt, and gratitude motivate each of us to reward cooperation with cooperation and punish defection with defection.
—Bruce Schneier, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defection
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defection
Noun
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Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.—
Lianna Norman,
Florida Times-Union,
16 Feb. 2026
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Those who showed apostasy rarely got another assignment.—
Vince Passaro,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Sabogal was arrested and charged with 1 count of child neglect and two counts of desertion of a child.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Wide-scale desertions and 2 million draft dodgers are among a raft of challenges for Ukraine, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said last month.—
Illia Novikov,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Schmidt used more colorful language to describe Pack, attributing the schism to personality.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
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There are still some trustbusters in the administration, especially at the FTC, which has avoided being pulled into messy lobbyist fights and White House schisms.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The woman, whose face was blurred in the video, was booked on charges of animal abandonment and resisting arrest.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
19 Feb. 2026
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These were evidenced during England’s European Championship qualifying round game away to Bulgaria in 2019, when officials threatened an abandonment after play was twice stopped due to racist abuse aimed at Tyrone Mings and Raheem Sterling.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The second major structural change involves one of the hallmarks of SARS-CoV-2 as compared to SARS-CoV-1: initial scission at the S1 furin cleavage site.—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes,
6 May 2022
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Wilson cautions more work is needed to explain how exactly spin results after scission.—
Charles Q. Choi,
Scientific American,
24 Feb. 2021
Noun
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The subsequent episode—in which Sullivan, who had a serious boyfriend at home, is seen making out with one of the men—framed the incident as a simple case of infidelity.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
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Moments after claiming bronze in Tuesday’s 20-kilometer men’s biathlon, Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid used the spotlight to make an emotional confession about infidelity and lingering feelings for his former partner.—
Denny Alfonso,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The stance aligns with China’s own sensitivities over sovereignty and separatism.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Finding common ground In the 20th century, Black and white nationalists were able to find common ground on the topic of racial separatism.—
George Michael,
The Conversation,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
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So much of the work has been clearing up misconceptions that have been intentionally put in the market.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
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Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest misconceptions.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defection.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defection. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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